


Baby Blues

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-03-03
Updated: 2004-03-03
Packaged: 2019-05-15 11:11:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14789411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: A West Wing who-dun-it with a twist.





	Baby Blues

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

**Baby Blues**

**by:** Catgurl83

**Rating:** YTEEN, just to be safe  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own them. They belong to Aaron Sorkin, John Wells Productions, NBC, etc.  
**Summary:** A West Wing who-dun-it with a twist.  
**Spoiler:** None that I know of  
 **Feedback:** I love to hear from readers. :-)  
**Author Notes:** Thanks to Classic She for beta reading this. 

"Will this rain ever stop?" Josh whined.

"I think we should pull over. It's raining too hard to be driving," Donna pointed out.

"I think it would be worse to pull over. It is raining so hard that you can barely see an inch in front of you on the road. Someone would hit us," Sam disagreed.

"We could always keep driving until we find a hotel to stop at." Toby decided to be the voice of reason.

The others quickly agreed.

"There’s a Motel Six a few miles ahead," Sam indicated.

*********

"We need four rooms," Sam told the young girl behind the desk.

She smiled apologetically. "I’m sorry, Mr. Seaborn, but we don’t have four rooms. People keep stopping because of the rain."

Sam’s smile broadened. The young girl had recognized him and the member’s of the President’s Senior Staff.

"Do you have any rooms available?" Josh broke in, disgusted at the blatant flirtation.

"We have two adjoining rooms left," she told him.

"We’ll take them." They all looked at Donna. "We don’t really have a choice. All of the motels will be full. We are lucky we found two rooms tonight."

Josh sighed, "We’ll take the rooms."

"I wonder if we could find a place willing to deliver some food," Sam said as they all sat in one of the rooms. They hadn’t spoken since they let themselves into the room.

Toby glared at him. "If you owned a take-out place would you have your employees delivering on a night like this? If an employee was in an accident, his or her family could sue the business’s owner."

"Right. I guess not."

They sat for a few more minutes.

"I saw some vending machines outside of the office," Donna offered.

"Do you want to go get us something to eat?" Josh suggested.

She shook her head. "I’m not going out there by myself. Someone else has to come along."

Sam stood up. "I’ll go with you."

He opened the door, but quickly stepped back.

"What _is_ that sound?" Josh asked.

Donna gave him a pitying look. "That sound is a baby crying."

"I know that. Where is it coming from?"

"Another motel room. They do let people stay here with babies you know."

"Um. No, it’s not," Sam told them. He shifted uncomfortably.

"What is your problem Sam?" Toby asked.

Sam stepped outside and picked something up. He stepped back into the room and everyone’s mouths dropped open.

"Someone just left it outside like that?" Josh asked.

"Her," Donna corrected him.

"What?"

"I said her. The baby is female."

"How do you know?"

"It is obvious," Toby answered, "The child is wearing a pink dress."

"Oh. Yeah."

"Sam shut the door. The baby is going to get sick." Donna instructed him as she took the baby from him.

Sam reached back into the hall and grabbed a bag before closing the door.

"Look inside the diaper bag," she told him, "There might be a note."

Sam unzipped the bag and started pulling things out; a baby jacket, a couple of outfits, a handful of diapers, baby wipes, baby powder, a can of formula, a couple of toys and a blanket. "There isn’t a note."

"Look inside the pockets," Josh told him.

Sam pulled a bottle out of the first pouch. The second held Desitine, Orajel, and a pacifier. Finally, he opened the last pocket. He looked up triumphantly, several papers in his hand.

"Um, this is a note written to the baby. It is supposed to be given to her on her sixteenth birthday." He met Donna’s eyes. "The mother must really be serious about leaving her."

"Is there a note to whomever finds the baby?" Josh asked impatiently.

"We found the baby," Toby pointed out.

"I meant from the mother’s point-of-view."

Sam held another piece of paper up. "This says that she is sorry for leaving Caitlen but that she has no choice. Caitlen is seven and a half months old and likes to be rocked to sleep." He stopped to scan through the rest of the instructions. When he reached the end of the last page, he looked up shocked.

"What?" Donna asked.

"She states that she knows that the baby will be safe with her father. She has been waiting for months for the opportunity to leave the baby with the baby’s father." Sam's voice cracked.

Donna looked at each of the three men suspiciously.

"What?" Josh asked. "How do we even know that she meant one of us? Maybe she left Caitlen at the wrong door."

"I don’t think so," Sam told him. "The note says that she would have left the baby sooner if she could have but that she knew she couldn’t get into the White House and she didn’t trust leaving Caitlen outside the apartment not knowing when the father would get home."

"She doesn’t use a name?"

"No. She just keeps saying father and him, over and over and over again."

"It could be any of you." Again, Donna looked at each of them.

Toby glared at her. "Does she give her name?"

Sam shook his head. "No, she doesn’t."

"What are we going to do?" Josh whispered.

"Well, one of you is going to be a father," Donna told him.

"No, I mean now. Are we going to call the police?"

"Maybe we should," Toby agreed.

"Are you both crazy?" Donna demanded. "We can not call the police."

"Why not?" Josh asked.

"First of all this child belongs to one of you. Do any of you really want your child to be in a foster home? Think about it. Second of all the press would find out. Can you imagine the headlines?"

"She’s correct. It wouldn't be good for the administration," Toby agreed with a sigh.

"Fine," Josh whined. "What are we going to do?"

"As soon as we get back to DC, we need to have DNA tests done," Sam suggested.

"Of course we’re getting DNA tests done. I meant what are we going to do until then? Like tonight?"Joshresponded

"He does have a point. It is going to take several weeks for the results of the DNA test to come back. We are going to have to figure out what we are going to do until then." Toby looked at each of them for ideas.

Josh sighed. "We’re going to have to tell Leo."

"He’s not going to like this," Sam pointed out.

"Really? How did you figure that out?" Toby asked sarcastically.

"He might even fire us," Sam went on.

"We know that," Josh went on. "Right now I’m more worried about what we are going to do with the baby."

Donna sighed. She couldn’t believe she was going to suggest this. She was doing it for the baby not the guys, she told herself. "Tonight, I’ll take care of her. Tomorrow we can discuss what you’re going to do for the next several weeks."

None of the men argued with her.

Toby stood up. "I’ll be in the other room. I need to take a shower."

"Hey," Josh protested. "Who’s going to share the room with Donna and Caitlen?"

Toby had already left.

"I’ll stay in here," Sam offered with a sigh.

Josh hurried into the other room before Sam could change his mind.

************

"It was nice of you to offer to watch Caitlen last night." Sam said. "Thank you."

Donna looked up from dressing Caitlen to smile at Sam.

"Josh, Toby, and I wouldn’t even have known what to do with her last night. I’ve never even changed a diaper." Sam went on.

"You would have figured it out." Donna assured him.

Sam sighed. "I’m going to have to, aren’t I?"

"It isn’t that difficult. Babies’ needs aren’t that hard to meet. At least whoever left Caitlen didn’t wait until she was a two-year-old. Then you’d have to learn to potty train."

"I’m going to have to do that anyway. If she’s mine."

"Do you think Caitlen could be yours?"

Sam hesitated. "She could be. I don’t know any more than Josh and Toby do."

It was Donna’s turn to hesitate. "If Caitlen is your daughter what are you going to do? You wouldn’t send her to a relative or put her up for adoption would you?"

"I’m going to raise her." Sam didn’t hesitate. "I don’t have any relatives who could help me and there is no way I would put my child up for adoption."

"What about your job?" Donna studied his face. He was completely serious.

"I’ll quit if I have to." He smiled sheepishly. "I hope I don’t have to."

Toby and Josh stepped into the room.

"The weather has cleared up enough for us to leave." Josh announced.

"We need to discuss this first." Toby told Josh.

Josh sat down on one of the beds. Toby sat down next to him. Neither of them wanted to be too close to Caitlen.

Donna stood up. "I think that is a great idea but first I need to use the restroom. I need one of you to hold Caitlen."

Josh and Toby looked at each other apprehensively, but Sam was already taking Caitlen. "I’m not scared of a little baby. Am I Sweetie? Only Uncle Josh and Uncle Toby are scared of you."

"Are you admitting that she is yours?" Josh asked accusingly. Sam could have told them last night andsavedthemtheworry.

"What?" Sam was confused.

"You just called Josh and I 'uncle'. Does that mean that you are the father?"

"I don’t know any more than you two do. I just figured that she’d have to call us something. What’s wrong with uncle? She’ll be calling me that too." Sam said defensively.

 Donna stepped out of the bathroom, laughing. "Seven months is a little young to be talking."

"I called a reputable lab this morning and made an appointment for all of us to be tested." Toby glanced at the other two men. Both nodded.

"Did they say how long it would take?" Sam asked.

Toby nodded. "I was told that it will take at least a month for us to get the results of the test."

"What are we going to do with Caitlen until then?"

All three of the men turnedandlooked at Donna expectantly.

"Oh no! I’m not taking care of her. I work at the White House too." Her tone was firm.

"You are the only oneofuswho knows how to take care of her." Josh pointed out.

"You’ll learn." She told him.

"None of us has time for this." Sam said.

"No, we don’t but we also don’t have a choice. We have to take care of her." Toby pointed out.

"We could hire someone to watch her." Josh suggested.

"Like a nanny?" Sam asked.

Josh nodded.

"How would we explain the situation to her?"

"We wouldn’t. All we would tell her is that we need someone to take care of the baby temporarily." Josh answered.

"Where would she watch the baby at?" Donna looked at the men. All three of them looked like they wanted to run out of the room.

Toby cringed. That would be a problem.

Sam shifted the baby in his arms. "We could take turns having the nanny and Caitlen stay with us."

"The nanny would definitely think that something strange was going on if you tried that." Donna told them.

"The last thing that any of you need happening is a nanny calling the press and telling them that you three kidnapped a baby and are trying to sell her. Or some other outlandish story."

Josh and Toby nodded. Sam just looked at her.

"Do you have a better idea?" Josh asked.

"I like the idea of you taking turns watching her. You could each either take time off from work or bring Caitlen with you when it is your turn. Or you could find a baby sitter to watch her for a few days."

"A nanny is a bad idea, but a babysitter isn’t?" Josh asked.

"Where would any of us find a babysitter?" Sam asked at the same time.

"All you would have to tell a babysitter is that Caitlen is a friend’s child and something came up. You are watching her for a few days." She looked at each man in turn. "Don’t any of you have a friend with a teenage daughter? Maybe someone you attend church or synagogue with?"

Toby shook his head.

"There is a teenage girl a few doors down from me in my apartment building," Sam said slowly.

"Do you know her well enough to leave Caitlen with her?"

"I don’t know her that well," Sam admitted. "I do know her father though. We attended the same college. From what I’ve seen, Brittany is a good teenager. Caitlen would be safe with her."

"I can’t think of anyone," Josh said.

"I think that Donna’s idea could work." Toby finally said. "There are babysitting services." He looked at Josh. "If either of us had to leave Caitlen, we could call one of the services. It would have to be a last resort though. The least amount of people that know that Caitlen exists the better." He didn’t even notice that he had used a cliché.

Sam, Josh, and Toby started arguing about whom had to take the first turn.

Finally, Donna had had enough. "We need to leave soon. Draw straws."

Josh got the shortest straw. Next came Toby. Sam’s was the longest. The baby would move every week until they found out whom she belonged to.

Toby stood up. "We should go now."

Toby, Sam, and Josh put the bags in the car while Donna figured out how to fasten the car seat into the car.

Donna looked up after Caitlen was strapped in. "We are going to have to stop at a store on our way back to DC."

"Why?" Josh asked stupidly.

Donna glared at him. "Because Caitlen only has one diaper left. We’ll probably have to change her soon. Besides wouldn’t you rather buy baby items where you are less likely to run into someone you know."

"She has a point." Toby said as he climbed into the driver’s seat.

"Can we get something to eat first?"

"Fine Josh. We will eat first." Toby agreed.

******

An hour later they walked into a department store and found the baby section. Sam glanced around with wide eyes.

"Do babies actually need half of the stuff they sell here?" Josh asked cynically.

Toby was impatient. "Can we please get started? We do have somewhere we need to be."

Donna nodded and began walking through the aisles quickly. She got diapers, wipes, baby powder, diaper cream, teething gel, a couple of teething rings, a package of bottles, formula, several types of canned baby food, a spoon, and bathing supplies. She turned to the men. "Those are essentials. Now you have decisions to make. She definitely has to have baby clothes. How many should we get?"

 "Enough that they don’t have to be washed every day." Toby answered. Josh and Sam nodded. Donna chose several cute dresses and outfits. Sam and Josh actually got involved, telling her what they liked and didn’t like. Toby stood to the side looking board. "Does it really matter if the clothes are cute or not? All they have to be is functional." Toby finally said.

"Don’t you want Caitlen to be cute when she meets the President?" Donna asked.

"I would prefer she didn’t meet the President."

"Okay. Now, you already have a car seat. Do you want to get a stroller?"

"Do we need a stroller?" Josh inquired.

"I think you do. When one of you has to take her to the White House you can leave her sitting in the stroller instead of holding her."

All three men nodded. Donna called a sales lady over to help choose a good stroller.

"Did you have to do that?" Josh asked after the sales lady had walked away.

"I didn’t feel that I knew enough to choose a good stroller. It can be dangerous if you have one that has been recalled. Besides she didn’t recognize you."

"They sell recalled baby furniture?" Sam asked, horrified.

"Not usually but it is possible that something that was just recalled wouldn’t have been pulled from the shelves yet." Donna reassured him. She turned back to her task. "I think you should wait to get a high chair, baby swing, and changing table."

"Will you help which ever one of us needs to have more baby furniture later, choose?" Sam asked.

Donna nodded.

"We can wait then," Josh agreed.

"Do you want to get a crib?"

"She does need somewhere to sleep," Toby agreed. "Do we have room in the car for all of this?" He eyed the already almost full shopping cart.

Sam thought a minute. "It's a big enough car. We have room."

"We could get a playpen now and wait for a crib. Playpens are easier to move," Donna suggested.

They chose a playpen.

"Is there anything else we have to get now?" Toby glanced at his watch.

Donna ran through a list in her head. "We should get a baby bath tub. Everything else can wait, I think."

A few minutes later they had checked out, following an argument over whose credit card to use, and  walked out to the car.

"I can’t believe babies really need all of that stuff," Josh commented as they loaded the purchases into the car.

"What I can’t believe is that this isn’t even everything. One of us is going to have to do this again." Sam looked dazed.

Donna couldn’t help laughing as she put the baby into her car seat. "It really isn’t that bad."

"Yes it is," Toby disagreed as he started the car.

************

"What are we going to do now?" Sam asked when they were almost to the White House.

Toby sighed. "We have to tell Leo. He'll probably make us tell President Bartlet."

"Are you going to tell him everything?" Donna asked.

"We have no choice," Josh told her.

They all climbed out of the car. Donna took the baby from her seat. "Who is going to carry her inside?"

"Can’t you carry her?" Josh asked.

Donna shook her head. "No, I cannot. Neither can Sam. He has already helped more than either of you have." Donna shot glares at Josh and Toby.

Neither man spoke for several minutes. Finally, when it was apparent that Donna was not going to relent,

Toby spoke, "I’ll hold her."

As they walked through the White House people stared at them. Members of the Senior Staff did not walk through the White House carrying an infant. Something was up. When they reached the West Wing, CJ approached them. "How did it go?" she asked, before she noticed Caitlen. She spoke again before they could answer. "What is that?" She gestured to Caitlen.

"A baby, CJ," Sam answered innocently.

"I know that. Where did you get her?" She looked at Donna.

"Don’t look at me. She isn't mine," Donna protested quickly.

"CJ, we will tell you everything later. Right now we need to talk to Leo," Josh promised her as they started towards Leo’s office. They walked past an open mouthed Margaret.

"Leo, do you have a minute?" Josh asked.

"Sure," he answered. He noticed the baby. "What is going on? Where did you get a baby?" He glared at Toby and the child in his arms.

"That is what we needed to talk to you about," Sam told him.

"We had to stop at a motel last night because of the rain."

Leo nodded. He had expected that.

"We found the baby outside of our motel room door."

"You didn’t call the police? The child should be in a foster home," Leo thundered.

"Um. That wasn’t a good idea," Sam said weakly.

"There was a note," Donna added. 

"There usually is," Leo pointed out.

"This one basically implicated one of us," Toby admitted.

"One of you?" Leo asked. "Do we know _which_ one of you?"

"She didn’t put a name in the note," Donna said as she handed Leo the note.

Leo looked it over quickly. "You don’t have any idea which one of you is the father?"

"It could be any of us," Josh told him. "We have an appointment to get a DNA test done today."

"Good. While you are gone, I want each of you to make a list of all of the women that could possibly be the mother.  And it had better not be too long of a list."

The men nodded.

"Have you decided what you are going to do with the baby until you know whom the father is?"

"We are going to take turns taking care of her."

"Fine. For now, you can bring her to the White House with you. Don’t let her interfere with your work," he admonished them. "Be very careful who you tell. CJ, your secretaries, and Charlie can be told. I’ll tell the President right now. Stay here," he ordered them as he turned to his door to the Oval Office.

"He took it well," Donna stated.

"Yeah, at least he didn’t fire us," Sam said.

"We still could be fired. We do not know how the President is going to react," Toby said ominously.

Leo came back into his office. "President Bartlet would like to see you."

"I think I’ll just wait for you here. You can leave the baby with me," Donna offered.

Toby quickly gave her the baby. He didn’t want her to change her mind.

"Go with them," Leo told Donna. "The President wants to meet Caitlen. He thinks he can tell who her father is by looking at her."

Donna sighed, "I’ve already tried. I think she favors her mother." She walked into the Oval Office.

The President looked up from lecturing Josh, Toby, and Sam. "So this is the baby." He walked closer. "What is her name?"

"Caitlen."

"Hello, Caitlen. That is a very pretty name." He gently shook the baby’s hand. Donna smiled. Josh and Sam snickered. Toby looked mildly amused. "You have your daddy’s eyes," the President continued.

The laughter faded away.

"You can tell who her father is?" Donna asked incredulously. 

"Of course. My powers of observation are very strong."

"Which one of us is it?" Sam prodded.

"I think I’ll wait." He looked toward the door. "What do you think Leo?"

"If we can keep the press from finding out, it could be amusing to watch Toby, Josh, and Sam struggle with an infant." Leo smothered a smile.

"That was my thought exactly. I am not going to tell you. At least not yet," the President told them.

Donna looked confused. "How does Caitlen look like him? I thought about it all night and couldn’t figure it out."

"It's all in the eyes."

"Caitlen still has blue eyes. They haven’t changed color yet," Donna protested.

"Yes but look at the eye shape. If you concentrate you might figure it out. Caitlen also has his nose," the President instructed her.

Toby glanced at his watch. "The appointment at the lab starts in a half-hour."

"You had better go," President Bartlet told them. "Take the rest of the day off. All four of you. You can use that time to get Caitlen settled."

"Thank you Mr. President," they all said as they left. They exited through the main door. Charlie stared at them but did not say a word.

CJ caught up with them before they could sneak out of the West Wing. "I want to know the story behind that baby. Now."

"We have an appointment, CJ," Toby said tiredly.

 "Fine. I’ll walk with you while you explain."

They told her about finding the baby.

"You don’t have any idea which one of you is the father?" CJ asked sarcastically. "Isn’t that something you should know? "

"Any of them could be the father," Donna told her.

Suddenly CJ laughed. "It is going to be hilarious watching you guys play daddy. Leo is going to let you keep working here while you wait for the results, right?"

"Don’t worry CJ, Leo isn’t ruining your fun," Toby scowled. They stepped outside and CJ turned to go back to her office.

************

                                                               

"Please Donna. I need you to stay. Caitlen needs you to stay. I have no idea what to do with her," Josh whined.

Sam and Toby had just left after bringing Caitlen’s things upstairs.

Donna sighed. She could not believe she was about to give in again. "I’ll stay. But just for a few hours. You have to take care of her. I’m just going to give you instructions."

He grimaced.

"You’d have to learn to take care of her sometime anyway," Donna pointed out. "Let’s get her things set up. Do you want her in the guest room or your bedroom?"

"The guest room definitely."

Donna placed the sleeping baby in her car seat and sat the car seat on the sofa. When she went into the guestroom Josh had already opened the playpen box. "Couldn’t they sell this thing already assembled?"

"We wouldn’t have been able to fit in the car assembled," she pointed out.

"Do you think I could hire someone to put this together?" His tone was hopeful.

"Do you really want to explain why the single White House Deputy Chief of Staff needs baby furniture put together?"

"Good point."

Donna finally tired of watching him. "I’m going to start putting her clothes and diapers in the dresser while you finish that."

He found her putting the baby’s bath supplies in the bathroom a while later. "I’m done."

"Are you sure you put it together correctly?"

"Yes, I am."

Caitlen started crying. Donna picked her up and handed her to Josh. "She needs her diaper changed."

"I can’t change a diaper."

"You’re going to learn."

 She couldn’t help laughing as she watched him try to diaper the wiggling baby. Every time he tried to put Caitlen’s new diaper under her she would squirm away from him. He finally got the diaper loosely fastened onto her.

Donna reached over and tightened the tape so the diaper wouldn’t fall off. "That was pretty good for your first time," she reluctantly told him.

 She helped him feed the baby 'glop' as he called the canned baby carrots. She stood nearby as he bathed Caitlen. The baby loved her bath. She flung her arms up and down in the water, drenching the bathroom.

There was more water on the floor than in her tub. Caitlen screamed when Josh pulled her out of the water. He wrapped the angry baby in a towel. She screamed as he dressed her.

Donna’s heart was breaking as she listened to Caitlen. Finally she relented and took the baby. She crooned softly to the little girl as she paced around the apartment. Caitlen fell asleep in her arms and she laid the baby in the playpen. When she went back to the living room Josh looked uncharacteristically crushed. "What did I do wrong?" he asked.

She sat down by him. "I don’t know. I think it was a combination of things. She was angry that you took her out of the water. I think that she also was missing her mother. That is probably going to happen until she gets used to you."

His face fell even more. "I hope not. That was awful."

Donna laid a hand on his shoulder. "It will get easier."

"Yeah," he agreed, "It will get easier once the tests proves that Caitlen isn’t mine."

"What if she is?"

"I really don’t know. My life is not set up for a baby," he said pensively

Donna was silent for several minutes. "You will keep her won’t you?"

He hesitated. "I don’t know what I’ll do if she’s mine. I’ve never thought about this scenario. I am always careful. Always."  It sounded to her as if he was trying to convince himself of his own assertion.

"Would your mother take care of her for you? For a few months or years?"

"That is the only thing I can tell you for sure. If Caitlen is mine, I am not giving her to my mother. She does not need to take on the care of a baby. I could not ask her to do that." He sighed. "I just don’t know. I’m sure Toby and Sam don’t know what they would do either."

Donna hesitated, not sure how much she should say. "I haven’t spoken to Toby, but Sam said that he won’t put her up for adoption if she is his."

"I have waited all my life to work in the White House like this. I just don’t know if I can give that up. Would it be fair to Caitlen if I kept her and my job? I work fifteen hour days most of the time."

They sat in silence.

"Do you want to stay for dinner? We could order Chinese in," Josh suggested.

"Okay," she agreed. She realized that the conversation was over for now.

*************

                                                                     

No one paid any attention when Josh walked into the West Wing pushing Caitlen’s stroller. They were all used to it by now. Caitlen had been with him for nearly a week. He wasn’t doing nearly as bad as they had expected. He glanced at his watch. He had a few minutes.

"Hey, Toby." He stood in the doorway of Toby’s office.

Toby did not look up. "What do you want Josh?"

Josh smiled. "I just came to remind you that Caitlen is yours starting tonight. My turn is almost over."

Toby did not respond. Josh went to his office.

Donna smiled. "Hi, Sweetie."

Josh smirked. "I don’t think Leo would like you calling me that."

She glared at him. "I was talking to Caitlen. You are not sweet." She reached into her desk. "I brought you something."

"What is that?" Josh asked, staring at the cloth thing that she handed Caitlen.

"It's a book," Donna informed him.

"Books are paper, not cloth."

"Not books made for babies. This book is not for reading. Each page has something on it that little ones need to learn."

He raised an eyebrow. "Like what? Does the book talk? Or does it teach them to feed themselves?"

Donna grinned at his ignorance. "None of the above. One of the pages zips and unzips. Another page has a tiny teddy bear that pops up when you press a button. The book is good for coordination." She demonstrated one of the pages.

He shrugged. "Will you watch her for a while? I have to go to Senior Staff."

Donna nodded. She didn’t mind spending time with the baby. She only minded when he tried to take advantage of her. It was not her responsibility to provide the majority of Caitlen’s care. He headed to Leo’s office. Donna pulled the stroller a little bit closer to her desk and turned her attention back to her work. Caitlen was completely enthralled with trying to eat her book.

"Hey, Donna." Zoey walked up.

"Hi Zoey."

Zoey noticed the stroller. It was the first time she had stopped by since Caitlen had been coming to the White House. "Why is there a stroller here?"

Apparently no one had told her anything. Donna did not know how much she was allowed to tell the girl. She had been told not to tell anyone the truth about Caitlen. Did that apply to the First Daughter?  "Have you talked to your parents, Leo, or Charlie yet?" Donna asked, trying to stall.

"I haven’t seen Uncle Leo yet. I just talked to Charlie. He said I should come say hi to you and Josh. Is that why?" Zoey gestured to the stroller. 

So, Charlie found this amusing.

"Possibly." Donna took Caitlen out of the stroller. "This is Caitlen. She belongs to a friend of ours. We are watching Caitlen because something came up with her mother. She didn’t have any family that could take care of the baby." She recited the same story they had used with everyone else.

Zoey just looked at her. "How long are you going to be watching her?"

"We’re not sure." That much was true.

"I don’t believe you. You and Josh wouldn’t just watch some friend’s baby indefinitely. Even if you would, Uncle Leo would not allow it. What is really going on?"

Donna glanced around them. She stood up. "Let’s go into Josh’s office." She closed the door behind them.

"Could I hold her?" Zoey asked.

Donna handed her the baby.   "Josh, Toby, Sam, and I found Caitlen last week."

"How come my Dad and Uncle Leo let you keep her? I thought that the police were supposed to be called in this type of situation."

"There was a note in the diaper bag we found with Caitlen."

"It said that Josh is her father didn’t it? That why she’s here." Zoey speculated excitedly as she stared into the baby's eyes.

****

"No, it didn’t. The note said that Caitlen’s mother was leaving her with her father. It said that he worked here in the White House, so we know Caitlen wasn’t left at the wrong door. We just don’t know whom Caitlen was left for. It could be Josh, Toby, or Sam," Donna explained.

"Wow. They got DNA tests done right? When will the results be back?"

"We were told it would be a month to six weeks."

"Don’t the guys know who the possible mother is?  Can’t they just call and ask all of them?"

She giggled.  "Don’t they know who they slept with?"

Donna sighed. "That was Leo’s suggestion. He had each of them make a list of the possibilities, as we know how old Caitlen is. Josh had three women on his list. We were able to contact and cross off two of them."

****

She looked disgusted. "We haven’t been able to find the last woman. She was a one-night stand. He knows her full name but it is a very common name. There are nearly a hundred women by that name within a hundred-mile radius. We haven’t been able to locate all of them yet."

"What about Sam?" Zoey shifted the baby on her lap.

"Sam also named three women. Unfortunately, two of them are in California. He spoke to one of them and is confident that she is not Caitlen’s mother. He hasn’t been able to reach the other. She moved. As for the woman that is not from California, she was visiting a relative in DC. He does not know where she is from or who her relative is. Toby gave us two names. We haven’t been able to cross off either name. We cannot find the women." Donna sighed. How could those three be so stupid?

"What does my Dad think?"

Donna laughed. "Your dad says he knows who Caitlen’s father is. He claims he can tell just by looking at her. He refuses to tell us who he thinks it is."

"I bet the guys love that." Zoey joined in the laughter.

"Oh yeah. Josh keeps trying to get your father to tell him that he isn’t Caitlen’s father. Your father just laughs it off and says that he is having too much fun watching him squirm."

"How are Sam and Toby taking it?"

"Sam does not believe that your father knows who Caitlen’s father is. He would never tell the President that of course. He is doing pretty well with Caitlen. He was the only one willing to help with her that first day. The other two didn’t want to touch her. He has dropped by twice this week with toys for her. Toby is not doing as well. He refuses to acknowledge that Caitlen even exists unless he is forced to. He won’t get into conversations with your father on Caitlen’s parentage."

Zoey smiled. "You have spent quite a bit of time with Caitlen haven’t you?"

Donna nodded.

"You must have noticed her mannerisms then. Do you have a guess as to who her father is?"

"She is very smart, but all three of the prospective daddies have high IQs.  She has quite a temper but she doesn’t get angry very easily. I really can’t decide. There are times that I would swear she belongs to Josh and other times I’m just as certain that she is Sam’s. I don’t see very much of Toby in Caitlen."

"Which man do you think will make the best father to Caitlen?" Zoey asked curiously.

Donna thought a moment. "I really don’t know. Right now, none of them want to be her father. Each of them is hoping that one of the others is her dad. Because of that, they aren’t really trying. I think each of them has qualities in him that would make him a good father. Would those qualities come out at this point in their lives? I don’t know. Any of them could surprise me though."

"Has Caitlen bonded with any of them?"

"As I said Toby hasn’t been around her very much. He has held her twice. I think she likes Josh and Sam."

Zoey smiled at the little girl in her arms. "How can Toby not like you? You are an angel."

Josh walked into his office. "Hey! Zoey. How are you?"

"I’m doing well. How about you?"

"I’m fine."

Zoey handed Caitlen back to Donna. "I’ve got to go. I’ll stop by again soon," she promised. This was quite interesting.

"Zoey," Josh called after her.

The girl stopped and turned back to him, curiously.

"Remember that everything Donna told you is confidential."

Zoey’s smile broadened. "Josh, I’m the President’s daughter. I know how to keep secrets."

"How much did you tell her?"

"Everything. I tried to tell her that story we’ve told others but she wouldn’t buy it. Charlie sent her here. I think she knew something was up."

Josh sighed. "At least we know she won’t tell anyone."

Donna handed Caitlen to him. "I’ve got work to do."

***********

The next morning Toby came in with Caitlen in her stroller. Josh and Donna both met him as he entered the West Wing. He looked weary.

"Hey Toby. You okay?" Donna asked.

"I’m perfect," he said sarcastically. He turned an accusatory look toward Josh. "Why didn’t you tell me Caitlen does not sleep through the night?"

"She slept through the night for me."

"She cried most of the night." Toby sighed. "She started crying the second you left last night. She wouldn’t eat. She cried when I tried to bathe her. She was a little better this morning. I think she might be tired from crying so much last night."

Josh grinned at Caitlen. "What did you expect Toby? You’re not me."

Donna snorted. "It is your own fault Toby. You’ve ignored her all week. You're a stranger."

"She probably thinks you don’t like her," CJ added as she joined them.

"It is not just she. I do not particularly care for small children," Toby told them.

"You are going to have to learn to like children because she’s yours," Josh informed him.

Toby glared at him as he walked away. Suddenly he stopped and turned to Donna. "Would you mind watching her while I am in Senior Staff? She likes you."

At Donna’s nod, Toby walked away.

He brought Caitlen to her a little while later. Donna pulled the baby out of the stroller and sighed. She stood up and took the baby and her diaper bag into Josh’s office. Caitlen’s dress was on backward. Donna removed the dress. She changed the baby's diaper and then put the dress on correctly. Toby had not put Caitlen’s shoes on her. Donna found them in the diaper bag and put them on the baby. Then she brushed Caitlen’s hair and put a bow in it. She had put the bow in the diaper bag yesterday after Caitlen pulled it out of her hair. Josh walked in as she was finishing up. "What are you doing?"

Donna rolled her eyes. "I decided to straighten Caitlen’s appearance. Her clothes were on backwards and her hair was a mess. Toby really must have had trouble with her. Where is he?"

"He is talking to Sam about something. He said he’d be here in a few minutes."

When Toby walked in a few minutes later, he glanced at Caitlen apprehensively. He took her from Donna and strapped her into the stroller.

Donna could not believe she was doing this. She had become soft all of a sudden. "Toby, I was thinking. Maybe I could pick up takeout tonight and come over. I’ll help you get Caitlen to sleep."

Toby looked relieved but all he said was fine.

Josh glared at Donna after Toby left. "You didn’t come over to help me get Caitlen to sleep."

"I helped you on your first day with her. Besides you didn’t have the same trouble with her that Toby is."

Josh smiled at the reminder of Toby’s problem with Caitlen. "You're right. I am far better with her than Toby is. What can I say? I am good with people."

Donna snorted and walked out of the room.

*************

Toby stared at the piece of paper on his desk. He crumpled it into a ball. He could not write today. It must be the lack of sleep, he thought. He looked over at the stroller. Caitlen was playing happily with a stuffed toy Sam brought her.

"Aren’t you supposed to be working?" CJ asked as she came into the room.

Toby looked up without speaking.

CJ came in and sat in a chair opposite him. He looked even worse than he had in the senior staff meeting.

"Are you all right?"

Toby sighed. Why did everyone keep asking that? "I am fine, CJ."

"You don’t look fine. You look like crap."

"Thank you so much."

"Did you get any sleep last night?" CJ tried to keep the worry out of her tone.

"I got some sleep. Not much," he admitted. He looked over at his clock. "Caitlen is a lot more work than I thought she’d be. It is already time to feed her again." He stood and walked over to the diaper bag. He took out Caitlen’s spoon and two cans of baby food.

He put a spoonful of what was supposed to be peas in her mouth. She spit it out at him. He offered her a bite of applesauce. She spit that out on him too. He was about to try again but she grabbed the spoon and dumped it all over his arm.

CJ was roaring with laughter. She watched this continue for a few more minutes. "Toby let me try," she finally offered.

Toby silently handed her the spoon. He got a hand towel out of the diaper bag and started to wipe himself off as CJ efficiently spooned a bite of applesauce into Caitlen’s mouth. The baby swallowed it. CJ got Caitlen to eat the rest of the applesauce and most of the peas. When she finished there was none on her. Only a little bit had dribbled down the baby’s chin. CJ took the cloth from Toby and wiped Caitlen’s face.

"How did you do that?" he sputtered. Was everyone better with children than him?

CJ smiled at him. "It wasn’t difficult."

"You have done that before," he accused.

After a moment, CJ admitted it, "I babysat when I was in my teens. I guess you never really forget what you learned."

Toby watched as Caitlen put her arms up. "What does she want?" he asked.

CJ glanced down at the baby. "She wants to be held."

Toby took her out of the stroller and she started to cry. CJ quickly took her from him and she quieted.

"She really hates me," Toby stated.

"You’re a stranger. Babies don’t like strangers," CJ assured him.

"You are a stranger too. For that matter, so are Josh, Donna, and Sam. She doesn’t seem to mind any of you taking care of her."

CJ thought for a minute. "I heard somewhere that babies sense our feelings. Maybe she realizes that you don’t like her and she doesn’t trust you because of that."

"Josh doesn’t exactly love Caitlen either and she is fine with him."

"She isn’t his favorite person, but I think he’s warmed up to her. You barely tolerate her."

"What are you suggesting that I do?" Toby asked her.

"Maybe if you smiled at her and talked to her she would cry less. Try softening your voice so it isn’t so harsh."

Toby nodded. He might try that.

CJ continued with laughter in her voice, "It is also possible that your beard scares her. Maybe you should shave it off."

Toby glared at her.

"Seriously Toby, what are you going to do if Caitlen ends up being your daughter?"

"I’m not going to shave my beard off," he said gruffly.

CJ put Caitlen on the floor with her stuffed animal. "Have you given it any thought? A lot would have to change."

Toby sighed. "I have thought about it. I do not know what I’ll do. There is so much to consider. This is a demanding job. Could I really care for a child properly?"

"What are you saying? Would one of your siblings take her?" CJ frowned.

"I doubt it. They all have their own lives. I would never ask them to take Caitlen for me."

"Adoption?"

"Possibly. I know that adoption would be the best thing for Caitlen if she is mine but I don’t know if I could give my child to a stranger to raise."

"I think you are underestimating yourself. Adoption might not be the best thing for Caitlen. I think you would be a better father than you think," CJ said softly.

"I just don’t know. I just hope Caitlen is not mine," Toby admitted. He knew that sounded awful, but he couldn’t help it. He didn’t want to be a father right now. His life was focused on his career.

CJ did not know what to say. She was not surprised that he felt that way. Josh and Sam probably had the same feelings. This was going to be bad for one of them. It couldn’t have happened at a worst time in their careers. She put Caitlen back in the stroller before walking out of the room.

*************

Toby felt a little bit better the next morning. He had gotten more sleep. Caitlen had slept all night. It was thoughts of her that had kept him up late. He was terrified that she was his and he would have to make a difficult decision. He had finally fallen asleep and had dreamed of Caitlen. He had seen himself taking Caitlen to her first day of kindergarten. Caitlen staring in a school play. Caitlen going on her first date.  Caitlen going to prom. Caitlen leaving for college. Walking Caitlin down the aisle at her wedding.

Then he had dreamed of giving Caitlen over to strangers. In his dream he was all alone eating birthday cake on the anniversary of the day they had all found Caitlen. He had no other children and missed Caitlen.

His last dream had been the worst. In it, he gave Caitlen over to a young couple with no children. At first, everything was fine then the man started abusing his wife and Caitlen. He saw Caitlen going to school with bruises all over her and nobody doing anything. After that dream, he did not know if he could give her up for adoption if she was his.

He had an easier time getting her ready this morning. Donna and CJ’s assistance and advice had really helped him. Donna helped him bathe Caitlen the night before. She showed him how to mix the baby formula so it wasn’t as chunky. She had him watch her put Caitlen to sleep. CJ’s advice was working too. He still didn’t think Caitlen liked him but when he spoke really softly to her while smiling, she didn’t cry as much.

He headed towards Josh’s office. Last night Donna had volunteered to watch Caitlen during the Senior Staff meeting today. He shook his head. He would never admit it to them but he didn’t know what he would do without Donna and CJ.

************

"We have a problem," CJ said in Senior Staff, "It just came to my attention." She handed Leo an article from a tabloid.

After he read the article, Leo handed it to Josh. "Is this it?"

"As far as I know, no one else is using this story yet."

Sam saw the picture accompanying the article and surmised what it was about. "How did they find out about Caitlen?"

"Apparently the clerk at the motel knew who you are."

Josh and Sam looked sheepish.

CJ glared at them, "You could have told us, you know."

"We didn’t think she saw us with Caitlen," Josh told her.

"She did. She says in the article that she spent the last several days wondering what she should do. She really respected all of you so this was a difficult decision. You didn’t arrive with a baby but you left with one. That seemed strange to her. Not quite on the up and up." Toby glared at her. "Her words not mine," CJ told him. She continued, "She was afraid for the baby’s welfare."

"So she decided to talk to a tabloid?" Toby asked incredulously.

 "That’s not all," Josh added. "They also went to that diner we ate breakfast at. The waitress recognized us after she was shown a picture. She remembered that we had a baby with us. She thought at the time that we didn’t seem the types to have a young child. None of us seemed to be comfortable or capable of taking care of the baby. She hopes the helpless child is all right."

CJ shook her head, "You guys really aren’t all that capable but Donna is more than capable."

"Do they speculate as to why the baby is with us?" Sam asked.

CJ laughed. Josh and Leo frowned. "Oh yeah," CJ answered, "The motel clerk offers two scenarios. The first is that the baby belongs to Donna and one of you." CJ snickered, "She thinks Toby. The baby was left with a friend after her birth because you were afraid of a scandal. The motel was the designated meeting place."

Josh roared with laughter. Toby scowled.

"I’d be careful about laughing when you tell Donna," Sam suggested, "She might not be too happy."

"She might be unhappy enough to physically harm you," CJ added.

"What is the second scenario?" Toby asked.

"The second one is even worse. A young woman who could not keep her baby sold her to two White House staffers. The staffers could not go through a legal adoption process because they are gay and do not want the country to know. She intimates but does not actually say that the staffers are Josh and Sam."

****

"What?" Josh thundered. He had not read that part. He looked at Sam. "I want to sue the tabloid."

Sam took the article. He quickly read it. "They don’t endorse her claims. All they do is report what she says in direct quotes. This isn’t good grounds for a suit."

"She called us gay. Can we sue her?"

"Josh gets over it," CJ told him.

"Sue a teenage girl?" Leo asked. "Are you crazy? The press would love that. Two White House Senior Staff members sue an immature child for spreading rumors about them."

"He’s right," CJ said. "It would not play well in the press."

"Are we going to release a statement?" Toby asked.

"I suggest ignoring this for now. This is a completely ludicrous story. If we bring it up we will bring credibility to it," CJ told them all.

Leo nodded. "Monitor the situation. If this makes any legitimate papers or news programs let me know."

"I can’t believe she called me gay," Josh muttered as he left Leo’s office. "Toby gets to be with Donna and Sam and I get to be gay." He noticed CJ following him and Toby. "What?"

"I’m going to listen in while you tell Donna," she informed him gleefully.

He glared at her.

Toby quickly put Caitlen into her stroller. He didn’t want to be in the office when Donna exploded. Her anger was not humorous. CJ blocked his pathway to the door. "Stay. This is going to be a good show."

"The clerk at the motel saw us with Caitlen," Josh told Donna.

"What?"

"It was in a tabloid this morning."

"What did the article say?"

Josh scowled. "The teenage terror had two theories."

"What are they?"

"The first was that the baby belongs to you. She suggested that one of us was the father. Her favorite thought on that line was that Toby was the father."

"Toby?" Donna’s eyes widened. "Toby is old enough to be my father."

"Thank you very much," Toby said from his spot by the door. CJ still wouldn’t let him leave.

"She also intimated that the baby was in danger with us. The waitress that served us breakfast says we are incapable of caring for a baby," Josh continued.

"I cannot believe this. How dare they say things like that? The other papers are going to pick up the story," Donna said. "What was her other idea about the baby’s origins?"

Josh’s scowl deepened. "She suggested that we were there to pick up the baby for an illegal adoption. She said Sam and I couldn’t legally adopt a baby because we don’t want everyone to know we’re homosexual."

Donna started laughing before he even finished.

"What?" Josh asked.

"You and Sam gay? That is so funny. I’ve seen your lists. I hope that story is picked up by other papers."

CJ snorted. Toby rolled his eyes as he finally got past CJ with the stroller. He had work to do even if the others didn’t.

CJ left a few minutes later.

**************

At home that night Toby turned on his television. He fingers froze in the middle of flipping through channels. The saleslady from the department store was being interviewed.

Toby picked up his phone and punched in a familiar number. "CJ, turn your TV on." He told her the channel and hung up.

The saleslady, Brenda, was telling her perceptions after meeting them. "I didn’t recognize any of them at first. Later I figured out that I knew them from somewhere. A few days ago, I figured out that they work at the White House. They really weren’t acting like they worked in the White House."

How would that be? Toby thought. She continued, "The woman, Donna Moss, seemed to be in charge. The men seemed to be letting her make all of the decisions. Sam Seaborn seemed to be the most interested. Josh Lyman seemed bored. Toby Ziegler was annoyed. He didn’t look like he even wanted to be there. He kept looking at his watch."

"Three men and a woman came into your store to buy baby equipment. That is not the usual is it?" The interviewer asked.

"No, it isn’t. At the time, I thought that the woman was the baby’s mother. One of the younger men was the father. The other younger man was an uncle. And the older man was the grandfather. I wondered if maybe the couple had just moved here and didn’t want to bring all of their baby stuff."

"Do you still think the baby belongs to Donna Moss and one of the men?"

Brenda hesitated. "I wouldn’tknow. I mean she has worked at the White House for a while right? Someone would have noticed if the baby were hers. I suppose the baby could belong to one of the men though."

Toby groaned. He turned the TV off as the phone rang. "Hello? You saw the interview too?" He listened to Josh rant for a minute. Both of them had called CJ apparently. Josh had also called Donna and Sam.

"This is only going to get worse when they find out that one of us is the father," Toby finally said.

He stared at the blank TV screen for several minutes after hanging up the phone.

***********

                                               

CJ stared out at the faces at her press briefing. They were all clamoring for information on the baby. They had been for several days now. She had refused to comment until now. "Baby Caitlen was found outside of the motel by Toby Ziegler, Josh Lyman, Sam Seaborn, and Donna Moss. She was and still is in good condition physically. Caitlen is now living with each of them in turn until her parentage becomes known."

"Does Caitlen belong to Toby, Josh, or Sam?"

"We do not know who the baby’s parents are," CJ answered truthfully.

"How old is Caitlen?"

"She is almost eight months old," CJ said.

"Why didn’t they call the police when they found Caitlen?"

"That’s all for now." CJ walked out.

*************

"Hey Toby." Sam walked into Toby’s office that evening. "I’m leaving now. Is Caitlen ready?" They had put Caitlen’s things in Sam’s car earlier.

Toby nodded towards the baby in her stroller. "She’s ready."

Sam bent down next to the stroller. "Hi Caity. Are you ready to go home with Uncle Sam? Wave good bye to Uncle Toby."

Toby frowned at Sam. "Why do you insist on calling yourself, Josh, and I 'uncle'?"

Sam shrugged. "It sounds better than referring to us by our first names to a baby." Sam turned the stroller toward the door. "Bye, Toby," he called.

The baby cooed at him as he strapped her into her car seat. He beamed at her. She was adorable. Could infants eat ice cream? On impulse he stopped at a popular ice cream parlor.

"What can I get you?"

"Two small cones," Sam answered, "One chocolate, one vanilla."

He brought a wooden highchair to a booth and placed Caitlen in it. He smiled at the happy baby. Caitlen had a huge grin on her face as she ate her ice cream with her hands. She was so cute that Sam didn’t stop her. He could bathe her later. She chuckled as she shoved a fist full of ice cream toward Sam. Sam quickly moved out of her reach. He gently grabbed her wrist in his hand and turned it back toward her own face. An older couple in the next booth smiled at them.

Sam froze in shock as a camera went off. The man took several more pictures before Sam could get Caitlen out of the high chair and then out to the car. Damn. He thought as they drove off. They had managed to keep the press from getting pictures of Caitlen until now.

At home he unloaded the playpen and settled Caitlen in it with some toys before calling CJ. "We have a problem," he told her.

"What happened?"

"I stopped for ice cream."

"What?" CJ laughed. "What happened? Did Caitlen get ice cream all over you?"

"Yes but that’s not the problem. Someone took pictures."

"Did they get Caitlen’s face?"

Sam sighed. "Yes they did."

"How many pictures?"

"Several," Sam admitted. "I’m sorry. I didn’t know that there were any reporters there. I didn’t even think about it."

 "They probably followed you," CJ told him. "She’s going to be in the papers tomorrow."

"I know. I wish I hadn’t stopped."

"It isn’t your fault Sam. You had no idea that they were that desperate for a picture of the baby."

Caitlen chose that moment to start crying. "I’ve got to go CJ. I need to take care of the baby." Sam hung up the phone.

***********

Josh glared at the paper.

"What good is that doing you?" Donna asked him. "The paper is not alive. It is not scared of you. And it certainly isn’t the paper's fault that a picture of Caitlen is on the cover."

He turned his glare on her. "Did you read this?"

"Yes I did."

He went on as if she hadn’t answered. "This basically says that Caitlen belongs to one of us. They call her the illegitimate child of a White House Senior Staff member," he fumed.

"She is," Donna pointed out.

"That doesn’t mean that they should call her that. What if she finds this when she’s older? It might upset her."

Donna rolled her eyes. "I doubt that she is going to be that fragile. Can you imagine a child raised by you or Toby being that sensitive?"

"I have feelings. Besides what if she belongs to Sam?"

"Point taken. If she’s raised by Sam, we’ll make sure she is protected from all of this." 

Josh looked down at the picture again. "It is a good picture."

Donna smiled. "She is adorable playing in her ice cream like that."

Josh frowned again. "I can’t believe that they suggest that it was neglectful on Sam’s part to let her play like that."

"I can. They suggested that I am involved with Toby," Donna disagreed.

CJ, Sam, and Toby walked into the room. "I just got off the phone with the police," CJ told everyone.

Josh, Sam, and Toby groaned.

"They aren’t happy about not being called when you found Caitlen. They want to press abandonment charges against her mother," CJ informed them.

"How are they going to press charges against an unknown woman?" Toby asked.

CJ frowned. "They want to find out who she is. Each of you needs to call and make an appointment. The detective in charge wants to speak with you."

"It is not abandonment to leave a child with her father," Donna pointed out.

"It is when you do not tell him you are leaving the child. She didn’t know how long it would be before Caitlen was found. It was raining outside." CJ glared at Donna.

"She shouldn’t have left Caitlen but she must have been desperate," Donna said.

Toby turned to leave. "Do you have the phone number CJ?"

CJ handed slips of paper to each of the men.

***************

"Hey Sam."

Sam looked up from the papers on his desk. "Hey Zoey. What are you doing here?"

She smiled. "I was just at Josh’s office. Donna said that Caitlen is with you right now."

Sam feigned a hurt expression. "I thought you came to see me." He smiled and gestured to the corner of the room. Caitlen was in her stroller eating crackers.

"May I take her out of the stroller?"

"Sure."

Zoey sat down with Caitlen on her lap. She reached into her bag. She handed the baby a small cloth doll. Across the doll’s dress were the words 'Baby’s First Doll'. Caitlen grabbed the doll by her hair and shook her. Then she tried to stuff it into her mouth. Zoey laughed, "I thought she’d like it."

"Thank you Zoey. It was very nice of you to get that for her."

The girl shrugged. "I figured that she didn’t have that many toys yet. Every little girl needs a doll. Even babies." Her smile turned mischievous. "That was a very nice picture of you in the paper by the way."

Sam sighed. He knew which picture she was referring to. "It was an awful picture Zoey. My face is very faded. You can barely tell that it is me."

"That is true but you can tell that it is a man. A slightly crazy looking man."

The picture had been snapped as Sam was leaving the ice cream parlor. It caught his face at an angle. It was taken after several others. Sam’s eyes had still been adjusting. He knew that it wouldn’t be long before someone in the press noticed it and made some type of comment.

"I guess you won’t be going for ice cream any time soon."

Sam shook his head. "I guess not. At least not until this is all over."

"How much longer do you think it will be before the test results are back?"

"It will be at least another week. Possibly longer."

She shifted Caitlen on her lap. "I think she needs changing."

Sam started to stand.

"No, I can do it," Zoey assured him. "Where are her things? Where do you want me to change her?"

"The diaper bag is under the stroller. There is a plastic pad next to the bag. You can change her on that. Are you sure you want to change her?"

Zoey laughed. "You think that I can’t change a diaper because I’m the President’s daughter. Well you are wrong. I have a friend with a baby sister. I’ve changed her several times." She finished up and stood. She chatted with Sam for several more minutes before looking down at her watch. "Oh. I can go see my father now." She paused for a moment, thinking. A grin lit up her face. "May I take Caitlen with me? I’m going to try to get my father to tell me whom she belongs to. Maybe seeing her adorable smile will soften him."

Sam shook his head as he smiled. The President had no idea who Caitlen’s father was. He just wanted all of them to think he had wonderful powers of observation. Plus it was a good way to tease all of them. "All right Zoey but I need her back here in fifteen minutes so I can give her lunch."

Zoey stopped. She was almost to the door. "Fifteen minutes? Could I take her lunch with me and feed her?" She smiled beguilingly. "You could get some work done while she’s gone and you know she’ll be safe with me."

"I know you’ll take care of her but you’re not a babysitter Zoey. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I like her. Besides it is going to be fun teasing my dad." Her smile got even brighter. "I might even tease Charlie a little."

"How long do you think you’ll be?"

"After I see Daddy and Charlie I’m going to stop in to see my mother. I might drop by to see Donna again. If I have time, I might take Caitlen to see Toby. We’ll probably be an hour or two."

Sam’s eyebrow rose at the mention of Toby. So Zoey was going to give him a rough time, was she? He held back a laugh. Toby would have to put up with whatever Zoey did. "That’ll be fine."

She went over to the diaper bag. "What were you planning on feeding her?"

"Choose a jar of vegetables and a jar of fruit. It doesn’t matter what variety," Sam instructed her.

Zoey put two cans of baby food, the spoon, a diaper, and the wipes into her bag. Caitlen was still holding tightly to her doll.

"Bye Sam, we’ll see you in a while."

**************

"Hi Charlie. Is my dad ready to see me?"

He finished typing something into his computer and stood up. "I’ll check." He glanced at Zoey as he headed toward the Oval Office. "What are you doing with her?"

"I offered to watch Caitlen for a few hours. I enjoy young children."

Charlie nodded before he stepped into her father’s office. "He’s ready to see you," Charlie told her when he came back out.

"Thanks Charlie. I’ll talk to you in a few minutes."

The President walked toward his daughter. He hugged her. "I see you’ve met Caitlen. Whose turn is it to have her live with them?"

"She is staying with Sam right now. I met her a few weeks ago Daddy. Did you think it would take me this long to find out about the latest gossip?"

"I underestimated you. Of course you found out about her immediately after she got here." The President sat on his couch. His daughter sat near him. She set little Caitlen on the floor by her feet.

"Josh, Toby, and Sam are all doing pretty well with her," he commented still looking at the baby.

"Yes, they are," Zoey agreed. "I think this is good for all of them. At first they didn’t seem happy about taking care of her." She laughed. "They were really inept. Now all three of them are very good with her care. I think each of them, even Toby, have started to care about her."

Her father looked thoughtful. "They are all getting better with her everyday. The first time I met Caitlen, Toby was staying as far away from her as he could. You would have thought she was a poisonous snake." President Bartlet chuckled.

Zoey thought for a few moments. "Daddy, is that really why you won’t tell them who you think Caitlen’s father is? Did you plan all along for them to learn something?"

"Honey, I always want them to learn new things. Yes, this is a good opportunity for each of them even if they don’t like the idea. They are developing strengths that they previously were ignoring."

"Like what?" Zoey was confused.

"I don’t know if you’ve noticed but Josh and Toby have never been the patient sorts. You have to have patience with an infant. Everything happens on the infant’s schedule, not your own. Sam trusts that things will go his way. He does not always think ahead. He realized the blunder in that at the ice cream parlor."

"So, not telling them whom Caitlen’s father is wasn’t just a joke?"

"No, although it has been amusing watching those guys take care of a baby."

Zoey cocked her head a little. "Daddy, do you really know whom Caitlen’s father is?"

"Yes, I do," he said firmly. "I know that Sam and Toby do not believe me. I don’t even think Leo and your mother believe me. I am very observant. I notice things that the rest of you do not."

"Really?" Zoey grinned. "Like the shape of Caitlen’s eyebrows?"

The President stared at his daughter.

"Can’t think of anything to say, Daddy?" Zoey asked innocently.

The President grinned. "I always did say that you take after me. When did you figure out Caitlen’s parentage?"

"I haven’t completely figured out her parentage. We still don’t know who her mother is," Zoey reminded her father.

He mock scowled at her. "Answer the question."

"I knew as soon as I saw her. Do you know what is funny? Donna keeps complaining because she can’t figure it out. She sees Caitlen almost everyday but she can’t see the resemblance. Neither can CJ."

"I know Honey. They just aren’t as observant as we are. We have to cut them some slack. But not much."

"So we can rub it in?"

"Absolutely."

"I wonder why he can’t see the resemblance," Zoey said after a moment.

"Who?"

Zoey rolled her eyes. "Caitlen’s father."

"I think he can. He just doesn’t want to admit it to himself. He knows but he is hoping that he is wrong. He is afraid this will cause problems in his life." President Bartlet stood up. "Now, go. I have work to do. I am the President."

Zoey hugged her father once more and then left the room.

"What are you so happy about?" Charlie asked when Zoey came out of her father's office.

"I take after my father," she informed him.

Charlie nodded. He could see similarities. There were worse things than taking after the President.

"Don’t you want to know how I know that?" Zoey went on.

"How do you know?" he asked obligingly.

"I am observant."

Oh. He knew what this was about. He glanced at Caitlen in Zoey’s arms. "So you think you know who Caitlen’s father is too."

Zoey gasped, "Think? I do not think. I know."

Charlie tilted his head. "Really? You don’t think. I wondered how long it would be before you admitted that."

Zoey hit him playfully.

"Be nice Zo. You’re setting a bad example for Caitlen," Charlie chastised her. He could hardly keep back the laughter.

"You are absolutely awful."

"That’s why you love me."

Zoey sighed, "Yes, it is." She understood why Charlie and her father got along so well. They were just alike.

She noticed the time. "I was supposed to feed Caitlen several minutes ago." She sat the baby on Charlie’s desk and opened her bag to get the baby food.

"What are you doing?" Charlie asked her.

"I am about to feed Caitlen." She explained as if she was talking to a small child.

"On my desk?"

Zoey looked up. "Well I could go." She paused for a moment. "I don’t know when I’ll be able to come back though." She pretended to get ready to leave.

Charlie chuckled, "Okay, okay.  Zoey you can feed her on my desk," he relented.

She spooned a bite of food into the baby’s mouth. Charlie turned the jar around so that he could read the label. "That goop is supposed to be banana?"

"Don’t sound so incredulous. What do you expect? A chunk of banana in the jar?"

He ignored her comment. "That doesn’t look like banana.  God, that smells awful." He gestured to the spoonful of the substance headed for Caitlen’s mouth. "It isn’t even white."

Zoey glanced into the jar. The substance was light yellow. "The manufacturer probably adds coloring when they process it." Caitlen didn’t seem to mind eating it. In fact, she seemed to like the banana. After she finished the bananas, Zoey opened a jar of carrots. She held the spoon out to Charlie.

"What?"

"Try feeding her."

Charlie glanced from the spoon to the baby. He did not want to do this. "I’d rather watch you feed her."

Zoey rolled her eyes. "Yes, you probably would. It won’t hurt you to feed her."

He tentatively pushed a bite full of carrot into the baby’s mouth. To his relief, Caitlen swallowed the food.

He feed the baby in silence. When the jar was empty, he looked up. "Okay, so did I pass the test?"

"What test?" she asked innocently.

"Whatever test that was."

She smiled. "Definitely." She watched as Caitlen smiled at him. "She likes you."

Charlie looked at the baby. Caitlen was still sitting on his desk. "Shouldn’t you move her so she doesn’t fall?"

Zoey picked the baby up. She looked at the door regretfully. "I’d better go. You have work to do. I’ll be back soon." She kissed Charlie on the cheek and left.

************

"Zoey?"

"Hi, Uncle Leo."

Zoey had just stepped out into the West Wing. She had planned on heading over to Toby’s office now.

Leo looked at the baby. "Babysitting?"

She shrugged. "You could say that. I offered to watch her for Sam." She grinned, "I’m going to tease Toby."

He nodded distractedly. "That’s nice. Just don’t tease him too much."

Zoey had to stop every few feet to say hello to someone she knew.

They were almost to Toby’s office when Zoey saw CJ. CJ walked over to her.

"How are you doing Zoey?" CJ kissed Caitlen’s cheek.

"I’m doing well. What about you?"

"I’m doing fine. Did Sam sucker you into watching her?"

"No, it was my idea."

CJ shook her head. She could not understand why Zoey had volunteered to baby-sit. "Have you seen your father?"

"I just came from his office."

CJ lowered her voice. "Did you get him to tell you who Caitlen’s father is?"

Zoey shook her head. "No, I didn’t." She smiled slyly. "I didn’t have to. I figured it out myself."

CJ looked at her expectantly. "Well? Who is it?"

Zoey appeared to think about it.  She finally said, "I think I’ll make you wait with the others." She walked over to Toby’s office before CJ could respond.

"Hey! Toby."

"Hello, Zoey." He turned his weary gaze on Caitlen.

"Caitlen, can you say hi to Uncle Toby?"

"Not you too?"

Zoey smothered a laugh. Donna told her about Toby’s dislike of being called Uncle Toby. "Would you rather me say, 'Caitlen, say hi to Daddy?'"

Toby actually shuddered. "No I would not. I would rather you not tell Caitlen to say hello to me at all."

"Do you dislike her that much?" Zoey asked in disbelief.

Toby sighed. "I do not dislike Caitlen. I dislike this situation. I am not good with young children." He knew he had said that before. He was not happy about having to repeat himself.

"What will you do if you find out you are Caitlen’s father?"

"Zoey, was there a point to this visit?"

Zoey gasped. "I am hurt. Don’t you like me to visit?"

Toby shook his head. Why did she have to do that? He knew she was pretending but that didn’t make it any easier. "I like you visiting me Zoey but I do have a job to do."

"Really? You have a job here? I thought you just kind of sat here and threw sarcastic comments at people." Zoey made sure her tone was teasing. She didn’t want him to think she meant it.

"Yes, I do have a job. I am trying to do that job right now," he pointed out.

Zoey relented. "I guess I’ll let you get back to your job." She couldn’t resist one last jab though. "Say good bye to Uncle Toby, Caitlen."

Toby did not respond although he did glare at her.

After a quick visit with Donna, Zoey took Caitlen back to Sam’s office.

"Did you have fun?"

"Ooooh, yeah," Zoey answered. "I just might do that again. She really is a sweet baby," she told him.

Sam nodded. "She can be."

"Can be? I haven’t heard her cry yet."

"She doesn’t cry very often but you do not want to be in the room when she does. She has very healthy lungs."

Zoey settled Caitlen in her stroller. "I have to go but I’ll be back," she promised.

Sam did not doubt that. Zoey liked teasing them too much to stay away. She was really enjoying this Caitlen situation. She definitely was going to enjoy tormenting the father in a few weeks.

*************

                                                                      

Donna hung up the phone and looked over at the blanket across the room. Caitlen was lying on her stomach playing with a few toys. She knew how to crawl but so far today she was content to stay on the blanket. The baby had no idea that everything was about to change.

Donna busied herself putting Caitlen’s things into her diaper bag. Her spoon was on the desk. A blanket lay in a chair. A bow and several toys were on the floor. It was strange how much baby stuff ended up here everyday.

The door opened and Josh and CJ walked into the room. Senior Staff was over.

"They just called. The results are in. We can go over there now."

CJ spun around. "I’ll get Sam and Toby. I’m going with you guys."

"I'd better let Leo know," Josh said.

Donna put Caitlen into her stroller. She put the diaper bag on the rack under it.

Sam, Toby, and CJ appeared in the doorway.

*************

"I'm Toby Ziegler. We received a call earlier today. Our test results are in," Toby informed the lady sitting at the front desk at the lab.

She typed something into her computer. "Ziegler, Lyman, and Seaborn?" she asked.

She looked at Donna and CJ curiously when the guys nodded. Donna was holding Caitlen. They had left the stroller in the car.

"If you’d like to take seats, I’ll let the doctor know that you are here." She gestured to a row of chairs on the far wall. Everyone found seats to wait. Each of them was caught up in his or her own thoughts.

Why was it that even after four and a half weeks a few minutes seemed like eternity? Sam wondered. Maybe because in just a few minutes one of their lives was going to be completely different, he thought to himself. He didn’t know what he wanted to be told. If Caitlen were his daughter, his whole life would change.  He could even loose his job. A job he loved. It might be worth it, he thought. A picture of Caitlen with ice cream all over her, smiling joyfully ran through his head. If she weren’t his daughter, he would miss her. He knew that he would probably get to see her a lot anyway but it would not be the same. He smiled at the baby sitting on CJ’s lap eating a cookie. She was so innocent. Her whole life hung in the balance right now and she was oblivious. He wished he were so innocent.

Donna glanced at the door behind the counter. Why couldn’t they hurry? Didn’t they know how important this was? A baby’s future was being decided here. Everything came down to what those pieces of paper said on them. Donna glanced at each of the men. Which one was the father? Would he be good at it? Would he even try? Part of her was hoping that Sam was Caitlen’s father. He wouldn’t give up and send Caitlen to a stranger and she was sure he would be a good father. She wasn’t quite as sure about Josh and Toby. Either of them could decide to do something they would later regret, like give Caitlen up for adoption.

CJ smiled at the child on her lap. What she would give to be that young and innocent again. She hoped that they could protect Caitlen in the next few weeks. The last thing they needed was more pictures of the baby out there. When everyone found out who Caitlen’s father was, the press were going to go wild. How was she going to handle this? She sighed silently. It would depend on whom the father was and what he decided to do. It would not look good to the public if he decided to give Caitlen up for adoption. CJ glanced at each man. Any of them could decide to do that. She wasn’t sure of any of them. Toby worried her the most. She didn’t think that even he knew what he would do.

The room was so silent that he could hear each tick of the clock. Time was dragging its feet. Purposefully torturing them. Images from his dream flashed through his mind. He could not make a choice that would be good for Caitlen. There was no guarantee that adoption would work out for Caitlen. He knew that he was not good for Caitlen. For the child’s sake, he hoped that Josh or Sam was her father. Yet, in a selfish way, he would like to be her father. She was a bright, beautiful baby. She smiled and was bubbly most of the time. If Caitlen was not his or if she was and he did not raise her, would he ever have another chance to be a father? Did he even want to be a father? A month ago he would have said no. Now he was not sure. The clock continued to tick away passing time.

Was Caitlen his, Josh wondered? What would he do if she were? Adoption was the best option, but could he do that? He would miss Caitlen if he did. He hoped that Sam or Toby was her father. Well, Sam. Toby was probably more conflicted than he himself was. Why did Caitlen have to belong to one of them? Maybe she didn’t. Maybe this was a cruel joke. President Bartlet, Zoey, Leo, Donna, CJ. They were all in on it. He shook his head. None of them would play a joke that would cause such bad press. This was definitely real.

Josh looked up as the lady from the desk came back out from wherever she had gone. Her footsteps seemed so slow. Why couldn’t she hurry?

"You can come with me now," she told them.

They were led into a small office. The man behind the desk motioned for them to sit. Toby took the chair farthest from the desk. CJ handed Caitlen to Donna and sat next to Toby. Sam sat closest to the desk. Donna sat next to Sam with Josh on her other side.

The man gave Caitlen a small smile than turned a serious look toward the rest of them. "As you know your test results came back today. I have not read the results. Each test is in a separate envelope." He held up three envelopes. "How would you like to do this? If you know how to read the results I can give them to you and leave for a few moments. I could also give them to you but stay in case you have questions. Or I could read the results for you, one at a time."

Josh, Toby, and Sam all exchanged looks. "Read them for us," Josh told the man.

He opened the first envelope and pulled a sheet of paper out. Everyone could see typing on the page. He read it quickly and then looked up. "Samuel Seaborn?"

Sam nodded.

"This says with 99.8 percent accuracy that you are not baby Caitlen’s father." Sam expelled a long breath. Josh and Toby got even tenser. Whichever test was read next would tell them who Caitlen’s father was.

CJ laid a hand on Toby’s shoulder. Donna did the same with Josh.

The next envelope was opened and the paper withdrawn. As the man read the results his expression changed. He opened the other envelope. After he had read those results he looked perplexed.

"What is going on?" Josh asked. He sat up even straighter.

"I’m really not sure. I will know in a few minutes though." He picked up his phone and punched in a number. "This is Dr. Arnold. I need you to come to my office immediately." He listened for a moment. "Yes it is urgent. I’ll explain when you get here." He turned an apologetic smile toward the confused people sitting in his office. "I am very sorry. We will have all of this taken care of soon."

 CJ and Donna looked at each other. "Something's wrong," Donna exclaimed. She shot worried looks at Josh and Toby.

"Will you please tell us what's wrong?" CJ asked, but it was more an order than a question.

"This will all be explained when my colleague arrives."

Sam’s relieved expression faded. A look of concern replaced it.

A young woman stepped into the room. She was wearing a lab coat. Dr. Arnold stood and walked over to her. They spoke for several minutes in low tones.

"We would like to know what is going on," Toby finally announced.

Neither doctor responded.

Sam stood. "I am a lawyer and...."Before he could finish whatever he was going to say both doctors had turned to him.

"If you’ll please sit down, I will explain." Dr. Arnold said.

As soon as Sam had taken his seat, the doctor spoke again. "The second envelope I opened contained results for Samuel Seaborn."

Sam frowned. "You read my results first."

"Yes I did. The results in the third envelope are for Samuel Seaborn as well."

"How can that be? Did you run his test three time accidentally instead of Josh and Toby’s test?" CJ was baffled.

Dr. Arnold shook his head. "Each of those three result sheets had different results."

"What?" Sam frowned.

"What does this mean? Are we going to have to wait another month to find out the results?" Josh demanded. He was furious. Donna rested her hand on his arm to try and keep him calm.

Toby glared at the doctors. "How could something like this happen? I was told that this is a competent facility."

The female doctor spoke for the first time. "We ran tests on all three specimens. I believe that all of your results are represented here. I think the only mistake was putting the same name on each result sheet."

Sam sighed. "How long will it take to correct the problem?"

Dr. Arnold spoke. "We hope we can fix the mistake within the next hour. Your results are still stored on the lab computers." He stood up. "If you will come with me, I’ll take you to a private waiting room. We will bring your results to you there."

*************

"I cannot believe such irresponsibility and incompetence," Toby exploded as soon as they were alone.

"Do you have a case for a law suit?" Donna asked Sam.

"I think so. I am not sure though."

CJ frowned. "The media will love it if you sue. I can see them salivating over it now."

Josh pulled out his cell phone. He dialed a familiar number. "Leo. We are going to be a while longer. We have a problem."

"What? What’s going on?" CJ could hear Leo ask loudly.

Josh quickly explained the situation. Finally, he hung up. "Leo is not happy," he told everyone else.

Donna rolled her eyes. None of them were happy. This wasn't exactly a fun situation.

"Even if they are able to retrieve our results, I think we should have more tests done at another lab just to be sure," Toby suggested.

Sam nodded. "I think that it a good idea.  Josh?"

Josh nodded. "I agree. I do not trust this place."

"If by some chance the results they give us are incorrect, we can probably sue for negligence," Sam said as he walked over to the window. "Damn."

CJ glanced at him sharply. "What?"

Sam motioned her over. He pulled the blinds aside for a few seconds. "Damn," CJ echoed. She turned around and met Toby’s eyes. "There are reporters outside. They must have found out that the results are in." CJ walked to the door. "I am going to go find someone who works here."

Sam dropped the blinds back into place before any of the reporters could notice him.

CJ came back a few minutes later. She was carrying a small portable radio. "I told the receptionist not to answer any questions. I told her that she shouldn’t even acknowledge that we are here." She sat the radio down on a chair and turned it to a news station.

"We have unconfirmed reports that DNA test results on baby Caitlen, the child found by White House Senior Staff members Toby Ziegler, Josh Lyman, and Sam Seaborn, are back. At this time we do not know anything more." CJ turned the radio down. "At least they aren't speculating on which one of you fathered her."

"They probably figure that they don't need to. They will know soon enough." Josh frowned at the radio. He wished the press wasn't outside. They were going to try to get another picture of Caitlen.

Caitlen started to cry.

Everyone turned to look at Donna who was holding the baby. Donna walked over to the diaper bag. She took a baby blanket out. Spreading it on the floor in the corner of the room, she laid Caitlen on the blanket and handed her a bottle. Caitlen immediately stopped crying and put the bottle in her mouth.

"She's tired," Donna stated.

Forty-fivelongminutes later Dr. Arnold returned. "I have your correct results with me. Do you want me to read them, like before?"

Toby nodded. He probably wouldn’t understand if he tried to read the results.

Dr. Arnold opened Sam’s first. "Samuel Seaborn?"

Sam nodded again.

"This says that with 99.8 percent accuracy you are not the father."

"Toby Ziegler?"

Toby looked up.

"There is a 96.4 percent probability that you aren't the father."

Neither Toby nor Josh moved.

"You're saying that Josh is Caitlen’s father," Donna stated.

The doctor opened the last envelope. "There is a 98.7 percent chance that Josh Lyman is the father."

Josh and Toby both sat down. Toby was relieved. Josh had no idea how he felt.

"Don’t the tests usually say 99.9 percent?" Sam asked.

The doctor shook his head. "No, not necessarily. It depends on how close the two samples we are comparing are to each other."

Donna sat next to Josh. She put a hand on his shoulder.

The doctor left the room. Before he shut the door, he told CJ they could have the room as long as they needed it.

Toby shifted uncomfortably. It was difficult to feel sorry for Josh when he was so relived for himself.

"We have to decide what we are going to do," CJ told them. "There are reporters outside. We are going to have to leave soon because we need to put the announcement out ourselves. It will be worse if we don't."

"Let's leave then." Josh stood.

"Are you sure you can handle it now? We cannot have your expression or your actions giving them anything to write about."

"I'm ready."

Donna scooped Caitlen up. She handed the diaper bag to Sam. CJ took it from him. "If someone notices Sam carrying the bag out of here they might try to draw conclusions about him being the father," she explained.

Donna covered Caitlen with her baby blanket when they reached the main waiting room. As soon as they stepped outside cameras started to flash. Questions were shouted at them. They did not look at any of the reporters. They ignored all questions. Someone actually tried to pull the blanket off of Caitlin but Donna shifted out of his reach.

************

Once they were in the West Wing of the White House, they headed straight to Leo's office. Leo glanced at each of them. "Who is the father?"

"Wait, don't tell us," Zoey said as she and her father walked into the room.

President Bartlet looked at Josh. ''How are you doing?''

''I'm fine, Sir.'' Josh shifted uncomfortably. Had the President really known all along?

''You are Caitlen's father aren’t you?" Zoey's question wasn’t really a question.

"You knew too?"

The girl rolled her eyes.

Josh sank down onto Leo's couch. "I still can't believe it."

"Have you decided what you are going to do?" Leo asked glancing at Caitlen.

"What is there to do?" Zoey asked. "He is going to raise his daughter."

Josh sighed. "I just don't know. I don't know if I can raise a toddler."

Zoey was incredulous. "You don't have a choice."

"Adoption," Josh whispered.

Donna and Zoey exchanged a glance, both were wondering if he could really do something like that. They had seen him bond with Caitlen over the last several weeks.

Sam just stared at him. "You'd do that?"

"I work eighteen hours a day. I rarely take holidays off. I live in an apartment with no yard. I'm a single man. I travel a lot." He ticked the reasons off on his fingers.

The President sat down next to Josh. "Most of those things can be easily changed. You can move to a house, work fewer hours, take holidays off. As for traveling, most of the time Caitlen can go along. I think that you'd regret it if you gave her up. You might not want to admit it but you care about this little girl." He put Caitlen on Josh's lap.

"I don't know anything about children," Josh protested as he absentmindedly cuddled his daughter.

"You've learned a lot in the last few weeks," Leo pointed out. "You can learn more."

"No one is born knowing how to be a father. We all have to learn," President Bartlet added.

"If you keep her you will know that you are doing your best and that she is all right. If you give her up there are no guarantees."

"Toby, they screen adoptive parents," Josh told the other man.

"Sometimes they miss something," Sam informed him. "I was watching this TV program. It was about this little girl that was adopted by two doctors. They were supposedly model citizens. They had a nice house, made good money, and had a dog. They even had a son that seemed well cared for."

"Is there a point to this story?" Toby asked impatiently.

Sam nodded. "The little girl died from abuse."

"Enough," Leo stated firmly, glaring at Sam.

Josh had gone pale, his eyes on Caitlen. "They killed the kid?"

"That is the reason you cannot give Caitlen up for adoption," Toby stated. "Could you live with yourself if something like that happened?"

"That is awful," Zoey whispered. She looked from Sam to Toby and spoke louder. "Stop trying to guilt him into keeping her."

Donna nodded reluctantly, "It is his decision."

"What if I make a mistake?"

The President laid a hand on Josh's shoulder. "We all make mistakes."

"The mistakes won't matter as long as you love Caitlen and try your best," CJ put in.

Josh looked at Leo. "My job...?"

"You won't be losing your job over this," President Bartlet answered for Leo.

"But you are going to have to hire a nanny to help care for her," Leo added.

"I..." Josh abruptly stood up. "I'm going to have to think about this." He looked at the President.

"You can go."

"Thank you, Mr. President." Josh turned toward the door before remembering the child that he had set on the floor.

"I was about to go to the mess," Sam said, "I could take her with me."

Josh just nodded before leaving the room.

"Do you think...?"

"He's going to make the right decision, CJ." Leo was optimistic.

**************  

"Josh?"

"What is it CJ?" Josh had been sitting silently in his office for twenty minutes.

"I need to make a statement to the press before they find out another way."

Josh just nodded.

"Toby prepared something for me to say. Are you ready for me to do that now? Is there anyone you want to notify first?"

"I need to call my mom," Josh said quietly. "Can you give me about twenty minutes before making the announcement?"

"Of course."

CJ left and Josh picked up the phone. "Hi, mom."

"Hello, Joshua?" Clara Lyman was surprised to hear her son's voice. He usually didn't call her during the day.

"Do you remember what I told you a few weeks ago?"

"You mean about finding that little girl and having a paternity test done." So, that was what this was about. "Are the results back, Joshua?"

"Yeah. She's mine mom."

"Oh, Joshua."

"I'm sorry mom. I know you weren't expecting this to happen. You didn't want..."

She cut him off. "Do not say that. Do not even think it. She is my granddaughter and I love her already. When can I come meet her?"

Josh hesitated. "I don't know mom. I don't know what I am going to do."

"What do you mean?" Clara asked carefully.

"I might not keep her Mom."

"Why not?"

"I'm not ready to be a father. It isn't fair to her. Caitlen deserves so much more than I can give her."

"No, she does not." Clara's voice was firm. "You created that child.  She is your daughter.You can give her everything that she needs."

"She needs love." Josh nearly whispered it.

Clara's voice softened. "You love her."

"Not enough."

"Your love is enough. You will be a wonderful father. Caitlen is a very lucky little girl."

"I don't know about that."

"Let me know what you decide son." She knew that she had given him something to think about. Now she just had to let him think about it. "I love you."

"I love you too Mom." He hung the phone up and then dropped his head into his hands.

***************

The next morning Josh wearily walked back into the West Wing. His steps were slow. He had bags under his eyes.

He had barely slept the night before. He may have gotten a half-hour of sleep altogether. He had spent the majority of the night tossing and turning, thoughts of Caitlen rolling through his head.  He had imagined Caitlen at various stages in life. The thing that scared him to death was that he was in most of those images.

In the last several weeks, he had grown to care for the child. He loved her already. But could he keep her? He had spent the night wondering that.

As he had told his mother Caitlen deserved more than he could give her. She deserved a mother. She deserved siblings and a golden retriever. She deserved a house with a huge yard for her to play in. Could he give her those things?

He walked into his office and settled Caitlen on his desk. She immediately reached for his pens and pencils. Josh absently took a pen from her before she could put it in her mouth. He reached into the diaper bag and handed her the cloth book Donna had given her.

A smile tugged at his lips as he silently watched her play. She was adorable, his daughter. Could he give this up, give her up?

Donna stood in the doorway watching the scene before her. Josh didn't even realize that she was there; he was so intent on the baby. "Josh?" She spoke tentatively.

Josh looked up, startled. "Oh, Donna. I didn't know you were here."

Donna stepped closer to the desk. "Are you okay?" Her voice was filled with concern. Josh looked awful. He hadn't even shaved that morning. His suit was the same one he'd worn the day before.

"Yeah." He ran a hand through his hair. "Why?"

"You wore that suit yesterday."

"I did." Josh looked down at his suit in surprise. 

"You have Senior Staff in a half-hour."

"Oh."

"You have a suit here. Would you like me to watch Caitlen at my desk while you change?" Donna offered gently.

"Um. Sure."

Donna took the baby out of the room. He really looked bad. This was harder for him than she had imagined. She just hoped no one got a picture of him looking like that.

"How is he?" Sam asked as he approached Donna's desk. He smiled at the baby.

Donna sighed. "He is a mess."

"Has he decided what he is going to do?"

Donna shook her head. "I really don't know. I didn't have a chance to ask him."

Sam hesitated. "Do you think he could do it Donna?"

Donna looked down at Caitlen who was trying very hard to reach something on her desk. "I don't know."

CJ joined them. "The press are loving this. You wouldn't believe how many requests I've gotten for interviews." She rolled her eyes. "As if Josh is going to talk to a tabloid."

"Any offers from legitimate papers or shows?" Donna asked as she grabbed a pair of scissors from Caitlen and carefully put them away in a drawer.

"The Today Show, and Regis and Kelly both want interviews. Someone from Ophra called but I haven't called them back yet." She paused for a moment as she watched the baby. "The police called again. They want to talk to Josh again. They are very serious about finding the mother."

"I'm worried about her," Donna admitted softly.

CJ stared at her incredulously. "She abandoned a baby Donna. Caitlen could have gotten sick from all of that rain. Or the wrong person could have found her. A dangerous person."

"I know." Donna sighed. "You'd have to have a pretty good reason to leave a baby."

"Like?" Sam prompted. He didn't want to think the worst of the unknown woman either.

"Maybe she is sick," Donna suggested.

"Caitlen?" Sam asked worriedly.

Donna shook her head. "The mother."

CJ shook her head at the gullibility of both of them. "Or maybe she just decided that playing house wasn't fun anymore. In any case the police are going to find her and then we will know for sure what her reasoning is." She glanced at Josh's closed office door. "Has he decided?"

"We don't know," Sam answered.

Donna stood up. "I'd better make sure he is getting dressed."

Sam and CJ stared at her in shock as she knocked once and then stepped into the office. She shifted Caitlen to her other arm as she surveyed Josh. He had changed clothes and ran a comb through his hair. He was now sitting on the edge of his desk.

"You have Senior Staff," she reminded him.

He just nodded.

She closed his office door and sat in the chair closest to him with the baby on her lap. "Have you decided what you are going to do?"

Josh met her eyes. "This is so hard Donna. Neither decision is good."

"Josh, I think that you should keep her. I think that you would make a wonderful father to that little girl. CJ, Toby, Sam, Leo, Zoey, and even the President agree with me. We all have faith in your ability to do this. But you have to have faith in yourself too." She paused to take a breath. "I think keeping her would be the best decision. We will all help you."

Josh stood. "I have to go to Senior Staff. Can you watch her?"

Donna nodded wordlessly.

***************

"Donna?" Josh finally stepped out of his office. He had been back from Senior Staff for about an hour. He had spent that whole time thinking about the situation. Trying to decide what to do.

"Yeah?" Donna looked up, surprised that he hadn't just yelled for her like usual.

"Can you come in here, please?"

Donna immediately stood up when she heard the polite question. She followed him into his office and he closed the door. Donna sat down in the visitor's chair while Josh sat on his desk near her. Caitlen was playing on the floor.

"Do you remember the day after we found Caitlen?  When you said you'd help Caitlen's father go shopping again?"

Donna wordlessly nodded. Did he mean...?

"Did you mean it?"

"Yes." She barely got the word out.

Josh nodded. "Good. I'm going to need help. A lot of help. I have no idea what I am doing, but I have to try. I can't give her up. I just can't do it."

Donna smiled. "You made the right decision. Do the others know?"

He shook his head. "No. I wanted to tell you first."

"Why?" she inquired.

Josh hesitated. "It just felt right to tell you first," he explained.

Donna grinned. She liked the sound of that. "If you want, we can go this afternoon."

"Okay. Is there really that much we need?" He still didn't think a baby could possibly need that much stuff.

"You need a crib, a changing table, a high chair, you'll probably want a walker. She needs more clothes and toys. Then there are the things you'll need to baby proof."

"Baby proof?" Josh asked weakly.

"All sharp edges will need to be covered. You'll need to cover all empty electrical sockets. Your kitchen and bathroom cupboards need safety latches on them. You'll need a better lock on your balcony door." She grinned. "Shall I go on?"

Josh just shook his head. She loved this. Now that he had made his decision, he was in for it.   

"When are you going to tell the others?" Donna wanted to know.

Josh shrugged. "I guess I'll tell each of them the next time I see them." He wasn't really in a hurry for any of them to know.

"Tell who what?" Sam asked from the doorway.

Josh glared at his friend. "Don't you know how to knock?"

"Yep. I just don't always choose to do so," Sam answered cheerfully. "Are you going to answer my question?"

"I'm going to keep Caitlen."

Sam's smiled broadened. "That's great. Have you told CJ? The press is really bugging her on this. Everyone is really anxious to know what you are going to do."

Josh stood up reluctantly. "I'd better tell her than." He knew he was foolish but he'd liked it when he and Donna were alone, discussing this.

Josh picked Caitlen up and then went to CJ's door. He knocked softly before going inside.

CJ looked up in surprise. "What's up?"

"I'm keeping Caitlen."

CJ smiled. "Good. At my next briefing when someone asks what you are going to do, can I tell them?"

Josh nodded. "Yeah."

"Are you going to move?"

"I really haven't decided anything except that I'm going to raise her." He shrugged. "I might buy a house."

CJ decided not to push him. He needed time to figure out what he was going to do.

"I'll be leaving early today," he told her. "Donna and I are going shopping for Caitlen's thing."

CJ just nodded. She wasn't surprised.

***************

"Am I really going to need everything here?" Josh perused his living room. The highchair, crib, walker, and changing table were in the middle of the room. The sofa was covered with blankets, crib bumpers and sheets, and curtains. The chairs were piled with baby clothes and toys. The coffee table was covered with bottles, vials, and containers of various kinds.

"Yes, Josh, you do."

"If they are all so necessary, than why didn't we get them sooner? Except the furniture, that I understand."

"Some of these things you won't need immediately," Donna explained as she picked up two items to show him. "You won't need baby Tylenol unless she gets a fever and this is an ear thermometer."

"Oh. Where are we going to put it all?" His apartment wasn't huge and they couldn't leave things where they were now.

Donna shook her head at his ignorance and took charge. "Put Caitlen in her playpen. Then put something together. I'll take care of the clothes."

Josh stared at the boxed furniture with trepidation. "What do I have to put together?"

"You choose but I'd suggest the crib. Then if you get tired, the rest can wait," Donna told him helpfully as she picked up a few bags of baby clothes.

A few minutes later, all three of them were in Caitlen's new room. Donna was putting clothes in dresser drawers, Josh was putting the crib together, and Caitlen was playing with a few of her new toys.

"What am I going to do with all of this when she gets bigger?"

Donna shrugged. "If you don't have other kids, you can donate this to Goodwill."

"Other kids?" He didn't even want to think about that right now. Caitlen was more than enough.

"You never know. At some point you'll meet the right woman and you might decide you want more children." Donna hung several dresses in the closet.

"Maybe," Josh finally agreed.

"What did the detective have to say?" Josh had met with the detective right before they went shopping. She hadn't wanted to ask this question where anyone could hear them.

"They found the mother's last address. She moved out seven weeks ago. Her landlord has no idea where she went. They have a warrant out for her arrest on child abandonment charges and child endangerment charges." He sighed. "They are going to send a social worker here in a few days to make sure this is an 'appropriate living situation for a child'."

"Can they do that?"

"Apparently."

Donna was now arranging stuffed animals on top of the dresser. "They have no idea why the she did this?"

"Her landlord said that she seemed like a good mother. There was no indication that she'd do this," Josh answered.

"Drugs?"

"The landlord didn't think so."

"A boyfriend?"

"Maybe," Josh replied. "The landlord told the police that she had just broken up with some guy."

"Are they looking for him?" Donna inquired.

"Yeah." Josh finished with the crib and stood up. "What now?"

"You make it."

"What?"

Donna laughed softly at his confused reaction. "Put the bedding on it."

Josh went to the living room and returned a few minutes later with the bedding. "What do I do with it?"

Donna helped him figure out how to put the bumper and crib sheets on.

He put the rest of the furniture together while she put the baby's toys, bathroom items, and kitchen utensils away. She ordered pizza when she was through.

Josh took a bit of pizza. "Does Caitlen really look like me?"

Donna looked at him closely. "Maybe a little bit. I do think that the Bartlets were right about your eyes. I don't know how I didn't see it."

"So how come I didn't see the resemblance?"

She shrugged. "Maybe you didn't want to."

"Probably," Josh agreed.

They were both silent for a few minutes.

"Thanks for your help," Josh said softly.

Donna looked up from her food in surprise. "Your welcome."

The phone rang, surprising them both.

"Yeah?" Josh answered it before it could wake Caitlen up.

"Josh."

"What's up CJ?" He could tell that something was wrong.

"A woman called Danny. She claims to be Caitlen's mother."

"What? When? What did she say?" Josh demanded.

"Just a couple of hours ago. She said that she had no choice but to leave Caitlen and that she can't believe that you sent the cops after her," CJ explained.

"She can't believe it, huh? What did she think would happen?" Josh was incredulous and more than a little angry.

"She wouldn't tell him where she is, just that it would be difficult for the cops to find her," CJ went on.

"Did she say why she left Caitlen?" Donna asked Josh who repeated the question for CJ.

"All she told Danny was that leaving Caitlen with you was best for Caitlen. Caitlen was better off with you," CJ answered.

"Why did she contact Danny?" Josh asked, frowning.

"She wants him to write an article saying that her leaving Caitlen wasn't abandonment because she left the baby with you. She thinks that the police will drop the charges against her if public opinion is on her side," CJ explained.

"Is Danny going to write the article?"

CJ sighed. "Only if you agree to an interview."

"What do you think?"

"Well, several shows and papers want an interview with you.  You need to get the story out, they'll lose interest quickly if you are open.At least we know that Danny is a good writer and won't distort the facts."

"Tell him I'll do it but no pictures of Caitlen," Josh told her.

"Okay. I was going to talk to you tomorrow, but while we are on the subject, I think you should do a television interview," CJ stated.

Josh ran a hand through his hair. "With who?"

"Several talk shows and evening news shows want to talk to you," CJ informed him.

"Who do you suggest?"

"Oprah or Dateline."

"I'll think about it," Josh told her.

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow."

************

"How long have you been working with children?"

The woman laughed. "The better question would be how long did I not work with children. I am the oldest of nine children. I have a degree in early childhood education and worked as a preschool teacher for four years before getting married and having my own children. I started taking in foster children when my youngest child was ten and kept doing it for eight years. Once my youngest started college, I took my first job as a nanny. I have been a nanny for ten years now."

Josh had to admit that that was impressive. She sounded very experienced. "Are you trained in first aid?"

"I am trained in first aid and in CPR," Sara answered.

"You realize that this is a live in position?"

"Yes."

"What was the longest period of time that you worked for one family?"

Sara laughed. "I assume you mean besides my own? I spent five years with one family."

She sounded perfect for the job. He hoped his next question didn't scare her off. "You know where I work?"

Sara studied him for a few moments. She knew she should recognize him. "No, I don't," she admitted.

"I am Deputy Chief of Staff at the White House."

"Oh." All of a sudden, she knew where she recognized him. She'd seen his picture on the news after the attempted assassination of President Bartlet.

"Would you still be willing to work for me?" Josh pressed.

"Yes. I don't care where you work," she told him truthfully.

"You would have to bring Caitlen to the White House occasionally," Josh warned her. "You'll also have to accompany us on trips."

"I can do both things," she assured him.

"No criminal record?"

 "No. My fingerprints are on file at the police station. I had to do that for my last job," she explained.

Josh stood up.  "I'll introduce you to Caitlen." He led her into Caitlen's nursery where the baby was quietly playing in her playpen.

Sara smiled at the adorable little girl. Caitlen gave her a gap-toothed smile and drool dribbled down her chin. Sara took a piece of Kleenex and wiped the baby's face. "May I hold her?"

Josh smiled. "Sure."

Sara picked Caitlen up and immediately started to talk to her.

Josh watched them a few moments before gesturing for Sara to follow him back to the living room.

Sara sat back down in the living room with Caitlen on her lap.

"Do you have any questions for me?" Josh asked.

"No. Not at the moment."

Josh realized that he should probably wait but he wasn't going to. This was the most important vetting he had done in his life. He had already interviewed ten candidates for the job and most of them weren't half as qualified as Sara. One of them couldn't even speak English. Another had a belly button ring, two visible tattoos, and was wearing a halter-top and indecently short shorts.  "When would you be able to start?"

Sara's smile brightened a bit. "I can start at any time."

"The job is yours if you want it. I'd like you to start tomorrow if you will," Josh offered.

"Of course I'll take it. Caitlen is an adorable little girl. It will be a pleasure to work with her."

They finalized the details before Sara left.

***************

"Josh?"

Josh looked up at Donna who was standing in the doorway to his office. "Yeah?"

"Detective Brenton is on the phone." Detective Brenton was handling the child abandonment case.

"Put him through." Josh picked the phone up. "Detective?"

"Mr. Lyman, I just wanted to let you that Mary Smith is under arrest."

Josh blinked in surprise. So, they'd found Caitlen's mother. "Where was she?"

"She was here in DC, in a very small apartment with her boyfriend," the detective answered.

"Did she say why she left the baby?"

"She won't answer that question. We found drugs in the apartment though and she was intoxicated at the time of her arrest," Detective Brenton informed him. "She'd like to see you. I think that you might be able to get her to tell you why she left the baby."

"When would you like me to come down?"

"Any time."

He didn't have any more meetings today. "I'll be right there."

***************

"Detective Brenton?"

The middle-aged man stood up and extended his hand. "Hello, Mr. Lyman."

"This is Donna Moss." Donna had gone along to keep Josh calm when he spoke to Mary.

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Moss." He turned back to Josh. "I'll take you both back to see her now."

The attractive brunette was alone in a jail cell. She was still wearing her own clothes and her hair was pulled back with a clip. The only indication that she might belong in a place like this was her red glassy eyes. "Hello, Josh. Who's your friend?" 

"This is Donna Moss," Josh answered coldly. "Why did you leave Caitlen?"

Mary laughed. "What, no pleasantries first? You're not going to ask how I've been?"

Josh didn't answer her. "Why?" He couldn't believe that he'd actually been attracted to this woman. Sure he'd been drunk but that wasn't really an excuse. He was usually more discriminating than this. Still, he did not regret his night with Mary. He got Caitlen out of it.

Mary shrugged. "I figured she'd be better off with you."

"Why?" Josh demanded.

"I just did. And she is. You are better for her than me."

"What do you mean?" Josh asked carefully.

"You have a good job, friends, and the moral character to raise a child." She shrugged. "I don't."

"So why did you write her a letter?" Donna inquired curiously. This woman was acting like she really didn't care about Caitlen but she took the time to write the baby a letter.

"Look, I care about her. I want her to know that. I just don't have what it takes to be a mother. I knew I didn't but I tried anyway. I got bored. She just wasn't worth it."

"Why didn't you call me?"

Mary laughed harshly. "Would you have taken a newborn?"

"No," Josh admitted. "But I would have helped you."

"It was better this way. You are caring for her yourself, right?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Just give the letter to her on her sixteenth birthday." Something occurred to her. He didn't know the exact date. Only the month. "May 1."

"Will you sign away your parental rights?"

Donna laid a hand on Josh's shoulder. His tone was cold enough to cause frostbite.

Mary didn't hesitate. "Bring me the papers and I'll sign them."

"I'll have my lawyer draw them up immediately." Josh spun around and walked out before she could respond.

"She's Caitlen's mother?" Donna asked incredulously.

"She didn't act like that when I met her." Josh sighed. "It was just a one night stand. It shouldn't have mattered what her personality was. Do you think that Caitlen will be like her?"

"Of course not," Donna assured him. "She'll be fine. You'll make sure of it."

**********

Three months later, Caitlen's birthday party

Everyone stood around Caitlen's highchair laughing as the baby dug into her miniature birthday cake with her hands. By the time she was done, she had cake all over her, her clothes, and her highchair. There were cake crumbs all over the floor too. A larger cake had been set-aside for the guests.

"I am so glad I kept her," Josh admitted to Sam and Donna who were standing with him.

"We knew you would be," Sam stated and Donna nodded emphatically.

 "We are celebrating something else today too," Josh informed them.

"What?" Sam asked in confusion.

Josh grinned. "The papers went through yesterday. I now have sole legal and physical custody of my daughter. Mary has no rights to Caitlen at all."

"That is good news," Donna exclaimed.

Mallory joined them. "I like the house Josh."

"Thanks. Everyone kept telling me, I needed a yard."

"You did." His mother, Clara, insisted as she walked up.  

They had convinced him he needed a house a few weeks after he found out Caitlen was his. He just didn't have enough room in his three-bedroom apartment. The house had four bedrooms.

Josh had also purchased a huge outdoor playpen and Caitlen loved to play outside. It was one of her favorite things to do.

"I made the right decision," Josh said as he took Caitlen from her highchair and held her at arms length on the way to the bathroom. "I can't imagine my life without you now," he whispered to the baby, "I love you."

***********

Finished


End file.
